By Desmond Bernal
With the cancelations of 11 fall sports, the Athletics Department has its “eyes” set on the spring season for the return of sports.
“The goal is by November to be thankful to have and see some good competition in the spring,” Director of Athletics Dean O’Keefe said.
It remains uncertain whether any fall sports will be played in the spring or if it will be only spring sports.
Athletic directors in the Northeast-10 Conference are working together to figure out the best schedule for fall sports in the spring, however there is one sport that might be difficult to return, O’Keefe said.
That one sport is cross country.
The reason is many cross-country athletes compete for the school’s outdoor track and field team in the spring.
“All the athletic directors are meeting every week to shape our schedule and we want to be creative in the process,” O’Keefe said.
The Athletics Department held a Zoom meeting for all athletes to discuss guidelines and plans gearing towards competing in the spring.
O’Keefe told the attendees he was grateful to see athletes back on campus after everyone was sent home last March due to COVID-19.
“It has been a quite lonely time on campus, but it gives me an adrenaline boost to start to see our student-athletes back on campus,” O’Keefe said.
The importance of “Masks Up” was emphasized in the meeting and athletes are always encouraged to have their mask on.
Athletes were told at the meeting that there are not only changes in their activities but also certain facilities they can access.
The Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex, Varsity Athletics Weight Room, and the Trainer’s room all are operating differently to follow the plans set in place.
O’Keefe said they believe the plan developed may seem long-lasting but can be tactical.
“The plan is going to be a slow and deliberate approach. We have a long time until the first game, meet, or match will be on campus,” O’Keefe said.
The plan is built from three components: The NCAA Resocialization Plans, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Guidelines, and the College’s Covid-19 protocols.
The plan has four phases with each phase consisting of guidelines based on group size, hours of activating, and training activities for each athletic team on campus, Steve Fitzgerald said at Tuesday’s meeting.
There is an unwritten phase called “phase 0” which is getting all students and athletes back on campus and making sure they have access to all the resources on campus, O’Keefe said in the Zoom call.
Phase one of the plan is set to begin on September 7 and any organized team activity during this phase requires a coach to be present. The phase allows teams to have groups of five individuals while allowing no contact and maintaining six-feet distancing.
After 14 days, the athletic department will assess whether it is safe to move to Phase two which moves from five individuals to ten in a group. Then to Phase three which progresses to twenty individuals in a group with the goal going to Phase four which allows each team to practice normally without any restrictions.
In addition, athletes that are residential and commuter students are required to take two COVID-19 tests per week.
The tests need to be taken within the span of 72 hours.
Students and athletes can go to “Stonehill Athletics & Recreation Covid-19 Information Page” on Stonehill Athletics webpage for any questions they have.
“We are going to start slow and be cautious, however, our eyes are on the prize at the finish line and getting back to seeing some good competition,” O’Keefe said.
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